“Goodnight, Kay.”
He stood in the hallway watching her until she closed the door.
ELI TURNED OVER for the hundredth time and punched the pillow on the empty side of the bed. This was the only one of his residences where clients weren’t allowed. What the hell had he been thinking to bring her here?
Oh right. He hadn’t been thinking. That was it. He’d been running on pure, unbridled instinct.
It had been late by the time they’d arrived, so he hadn’t expected Kay to ask to see his room. Now he had to field her questions about everything. She’d want to know why there were no decorations anywhere. Why he didn’t have any personal items in the house.
Why he kept his bedroom door locked?
“Damn. I might as well get up at this rate.” He shoved the heavy comforter back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Shadows fell across the bedspread. He’d opened the curtains before going to bed to allow the silvery light of the moon to illuminate the room.
A black robe hung over the end of the bed, so he stuck his arms through the sleeves and belted it at the waist. She’d said she wouldn’t be roaming the house, but he’d wear it just in case. He’d held himself in check when she’d caught him half-naked at her apartment. It wouldn’t be so easy for him to do that in his own space with an inviting king-size bed only a few feet away.
The hallway was quiet and dark, the only sound the pad of his feet as he walked. He punched in the security code and waited until the lights flashed green before he entered the living room. It was colder out here, the wood floor under his feet like a block of ice. He crossed the room quickly and entered the kitchen. Carly had brought a wide range of items, so he could always make himself a sandwich or at the very least have a glass of milk. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out several items.
When he looked up, Kay stood at the entrance to the kitchen. He took a step forward and then stopped. She wore a long T-shirt and nothing else. As his body tightened at the sight of her legs, he was suddenly immensely happy he’d worn the thick robe.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
She shook her head and walked into the kitchen. “No. I couldn’t sleep. Then I heard you moving around. You can’t sleep either, huh?”
“No. But then again, we did narrowly miss being blown up, so it’s not that surprising that we’re both still a little wound up.”
Her sigh could be heard from across the room. “Yeah, there is that.” She pulled at the edges of her T-shirt, frowning down at it as if suddenly aware that she was talking to him while only half-dressed.
It hit him then, why she was standing there in his kitchen wearing nothing but a T-shirt. She wasn’t trying to drive his libido crazy or mess with his head. Kay wasn’t the type to play those games. She was sweet. She was honest.
She was also probably scared out of her mind.
He dropped the milk carton on the counter with a thump. “Kay, I’m going to figure out who is behind this. I’m going to figure it out, and then I’m going to nail the bastard. He won’t touch you or Hope.”
She nodded, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I know.”
“You’re safe here. You don’t have to be afraid,” Eli continued. It was one thing to know intellectually that you were going to be okay, but knowing it and feeling it wasn’t the same thing. He knew that from experience. Sometimes you just needed to hear someone say it.
Suddenly she sprang forward and curled against his chest. He forgot all his prior warnings and rules and resolutions to stay away from her. In that moment she needed comfort, and he’d give her everything he had if it would make things right.
“I know things are happening really fast. This is scary and everything seems out of control. But I want you to know that I won’t let anybody hurt you.”
She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide. “Can we just sit out here on the couch for a little while?”
He grinned. “Yeah. I’m not tired anyway.”
They sat on the couch and Kay curled against his side and tucked her legs underneath her. He turned on the television and they laughed along with the old I Love Lucy reruns playing on one of the cable channels. She fell asleep against his chest, her hand curled in a fist right over his heart.
When he carried her to the guest room bed, she never woke up.
THE NEXT DAY, to Kay’s surprise, Eli didn’t mention their late-night cuddle fest. She’d emerged from her room in the morning, sure that things would be awkward, but he’d simply said good morning and offered her some toast. It was strange that he was acting like it hadn’t happened, but she couldn’t deny that she was grateful because she still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened. One minute she’d been in her room staring at the ceiling, and then she’d suddenly needed to see him. Needed to know she wasn’t alone.
She certainly hadn’t meant to fall asleep on him.
After breakfast, Eli had shown her where everything was and took her and Hope for a walk around the neighborhood. Kay was surprised that he was allowing them out of the house, but he said it was important for her to know her surroundings. Later, Kay made a quick pot of spaghetti for lunch and then started prepping the ground beef to make meatloaf for dinner.
Eli had disappeared after their walk to make some calls. She’d tried to find some music to put on to give her something to listen to instead of the oppressive quiet of an unfamiliar house but couldn’t find a stereo system. There wasn’t much in the house in the way of personal items at all. No books on the coffee table, magazines in the bathroom, or shoes under the table.
Eventually she’d stopped her shameless snooping and just turned on the television in the family room to give her some background noise. They hadn’t brought a high chair for Hope, so she’d held the squirming baby on her lap and fed her.